Projectile for fire-arms and ordnance



(No Model.)

D. B. WESSON. PROJEGTILE FOR FIRE ARMS AND ORDNANGE.

Patented Nov. 18, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL B. WVESSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROJECTILE FOR FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 440,672, dated November18, 1890.

Application filed May 22, 1890. Serial No. 352,761. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL B. WEssoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inProjectilesfor Fire-Arms and Ordnance, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to projectiles for ordnance and for small-arms,pistols, &c., the object being to provide improved projectiles for theaboveanentioned uses in respect to means for lubricating the same,whereby the movement of the projectiles in the barrels of the guns orarms is attended with reduced frictional resistance, and injury to theinterior of said barrels by the movement of the projectiles therethroughis in a great measure, if not wholly, prevented.

In the drawings forming part of this specifieation, Figure l is a sideelevation, partly in section, of a metallic cartridge containing aprojectile constructed according to my invention, there being embracedin this figure a rear end view of the said projectile. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation, partly in section, of a solid projectile or shot for cannonand a rear end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly insection, of a shell for cannon and a rear end elevation of the same.Figs. at, 5, and 6 are side elevations, partly in section, of variousdescriptions of cartridges, these cartridges, as well as the shot andshell shown in Figs. 2 and 3, illustrating the manner of applying myimprovements to different projectiles, all as hereinafter fullydescribed.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a cartridge projeetile having anarrangement of duets or conduits,' as below described, differingslightly from those shown in the preceding figures. Fig. 8 shows aprojectile in which the reservoir-cap is omitted.

lleretoforeprojectilesforiire-armshavebeen lubricated by applyinglubricating material in various ways to the surface thereof, or byputting said material into the shells of metallic cartridges directlybehind the ball thereof; but said ways of applying the lubricant haveproved unsatisfactory from the fact that rarely, if ever, do they effectthe thorough lubrication of the surfaces of ball and barrel during theentire movement of the ball from breech to muzzle of the latter; but theimproved means of lubrication herein described insures the efiectuallubrication of the abrading parts of barrel and projectile during theentire movement of the latter in the barrel.

In the drawings, referring now to Fig. 1, which illustrates (somewhatenlarged) a metallic cartridge, 19 is the shell thereof, of usual formand construction, and A is the bullet, made preferably of lead, asusual, but in detail constructed as follows:

In the base of the bullet A is formed a chamher or lubricant-reservoir3, of any suitable form, but preferably cylindrical, said reservoirbeing adapted to contain a sufficient quantity of lubricating material,preferably tallow or similar substance, to lubricate the surface of theball during its entire passage through the barrel. The ball is madepreferably with an annular groove or recess at in its surface betweenits base and tip. One or more lubricant-ducts 5 are formed in the ballA, extending from said reservoir to the surface of the ball or to thebase of said groove or recess, as shown in the several figures, saidducts being adapted to convey the lubricant from said reservoir to thesurface of the ball, as below described. The said reservoir 3 havingbeen filled with lubricating material D, and preferably filling theducts 5 at the same time, as shown in the drawings, a movable cap orplate 6 is placed in the open end of said reservoir, thereby inclosingand retaining the lubricant therein until such time as the projectileshall be fired from the cartridge or from a gun. The said cap or plate 6is made preferably of the forms shown in Figs. 2 and 3that is to say,circular and having a pending border or brim 0; but said cap may consistsimply of a flat disk, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, if desired. Saidcap 6 acts, when subjected to the force of an ignited charge of powderor other explosive in a cartridge or in a gun, as a piston to force thelubricant D through the ducts 5 in the projectile and to discharge saidlubricant outwardly against the adjoining inner surface of the barrel ofthe gun or fire-arm. It is obviously desirable that the cap 6 shall fittightly within the walls of the reservoir 3 to prevent the escape of anyof the lubricant rearwardly when said pressure acts on the cap to forceit through the ducts 5, and hence the said form of cap shown in Figs. 2and 3, and placed in the projectile as there shown, is preferable, forthe pressure acts directly against the outer surface of the cap to driveit inward, and more or less laterally against the pending brim 0,thereby forcing the latter so closely against the walls of the reservoiras to prevent undue leakage. The action of the pressure against theouter side of the cap 6, (shown in Fig. 1,) when said cap is placed inthe reservoir with its border 0 extending inwardly, is to crowd theextremity of said border tightly against the Walls of the reservoir.This action tends (more or less) to prevent leakage around the border ofthe cap; but this arrangement of the latter is objectionable, for thereason that the edge of the border is-apt to cut into the walls of thereservoir and hinder the proper movement of the cap inwardly.

The cap shown in Fig. 3 is substantially like that shown in Fig. 2, butvaries somewhat from the latter, in that its central portion within thebrim or border 0 is strength ened by making it of convex form to preventany inward deflection under great pressure.

and this convex form of cap is particularly adapted to be used in largeprojectiles, in which the cap may be from two to three inches indiameter, this preventing central deflection, which would tend to drawthe lower edge of the brim c away from the walls of the reservoir, andthus permit leakage around the border of the cap; Said convex form ofcap may, if desired, be used in the cap of the description shown inFigs. 4:, 5, and 6,which has no brim or border 0 extending at rightangles to the plane of the cap.

The above-referred-to annular groove or recess 5 in the surface of theprojectile, in which the outer ends of the ducts 5 terminate beneath thesurface proper thereof, prevents the closing of any of the said outerends of the ducts by the usual formation of land-marks or grooves on theprojectile caused by the rifiing of the barrel when the latter passesthrough it. Themhowever, the projectile is constructed without saidgroove or recess 4, and with several ducts communicating with thelubricantreservoir, it is sel dom, if ever, that such a number of ductsare interfered with from the above cause as to seriously interfere withthe lubrication of the barrel, as above described.

r Fig. 4 illustrates the application of the within described lubricatingimprovements to a cartridge projectile adapted to be fired in a barrelof very small caliber. Fig. 5 similarly illustrates the application ofsaid im provements to the regular United States service cartridge of45-caliber, and Fig. 6 similarly illustrates the application of the sameimprovements to an ordinarySmith & Wesson pistol-cartridge.

insure its distribution overthe entire surface of the projectile fromthe outer ends of said ducts to the rear end thereof during its pas sagethrough the. barrel, and to this end the capacity of the reservoir, thesupply of lubricant therein, and the diameter of the ducts 5 areproperlyadjusted to meet the conditions required for each description ofprojectile, so that'the lubricant shall be continuously delivered fromthe sides of the projectile from the instant of the first efiect of theforce of the ignited charge of the arm upon the cap 6 to the escape ofthe projectile from the muzzle of the barrel, thereby effecting completeand continuous lubrication, coinciding with the movement of theprojectile, as aforesaid.

Ordinarily, when the length of the ball will permit, it is preferable,as shown in Figs. 1, 5, and 6, that the upper end of the shell of acartridge shall extend more or less over the outer ends of the ducts 5,in order to preserve them in good condition for the delivery of thelubricant, and also to keep any of the lat= ter that may be present ator in the outer end of the ducts from becoming dry and hard by exposureto the air.

The projectile, Fig. 7, illustrates an arrange= ment of the ductsbetween the reservoir 3 and the surface of projectile, which may beadopt ed, if desired, instead of that shown in the preceding figures ofthe drawings, which consists in forming a transverse duct :0 through theprojectile from side to side, having communication with the reservoir 3by means of a duct a, forming a communication between the reservoir andsaid transverse duct.

The useful purposes of the cap 6 are above set 'forth to a considerableextent, but it further serves to prevent the escape of any of theexplosive force of the charge through the ducts 5'after the lubricantmay have been fully discharged from the reservoir. But by the exerciseof care as to such an excess of lubricant as will not be whollyexhausted from the reservoir and the ducts during the passage of theprojectile through the barrel of the arm said cap may be omitted, asshown in Fig. 8, if desired, especially when the projectile is to beused soon after it shall have been charged with lubricant, but inorder'to best answer all the requirements of service it is preferable toinvariably provide the projectile with a cap.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A projectile having a reservoir for alubricant in its rear portion and a duct leading from said reservoir tothe outer surface of the ICC projectile and opening near the front ofthat part of the projectile which has abearing on the walls of the gun,whereby pressure on the rear of the projectile may expel the lubricantduring the passage of the projectile along the gun-barrel, substantiallyas described.

2. A projectile having in its rear portion a reservoir containing alubricant and one or more ducts communicating with said reservoir andwit-h the exterior of the projectile and provided with a cap fitting andmovable forwardly in the rear of said reservoir and adapted to receivethe impact of the firingcharge, for the purpose set forth.

3. A projectile having a lubricant-reservoir therein and one or moreducts communicating with said reservoir and extending thence to the baseof a recess in the surface of the projectile, combined with a movablecap closing the open end of said reservoir, substantially as set forth.

4. A projectile having alubricant-reservoir therein and one or moreducts communicat-- said reservoir, having its central portion of 35convex form and a border extending at right angles to the plane of thecap, substantially as set forth.

DANIEL B. WESSON. Witnesses:

H. A. UHAPIN, WM. S. BELLOWS.

